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Today’s episode of the Faculty Factory Podcast is about the need for strong leadership in the face of uncertainty. It features a recording from a recent lecture led by Faculty Factory Podcast host Kimberly Skarupski, PhD, MPH.
If you’d like to see any visuals from the lecture, please visit our Faculty Factory YouTube channel here.
Dr. Skarupski is Associate Vice Provost, Leadership Development, in the Office of Faculty Affairs with UTMB Health in Galveston, Texas. She is a tenured Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Geriatrics in the John Sealy School of Medicine and in the Department of Epidemiology in the School of Public and Population Health.
The talk explores strategies for staying grounded, communicating with clarity, and supporting your postdocs through uncertain times. This lecture has been edited and repurposed to provide a friendly podcast listening experience.
VUCA Times
As outlined in today’s broadcast, VUCA—standing for volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity—is a crucial concept to familiarize yourself with in today’s rapidly changing academic medicine landscape.
In times like these, when traditional plans and paths are challenged and obstructed, understanding and accepting the realities of a VUCA environment helps develop:
- Resilience
- Agility
- Clarity
The purpose of this lecture is to help us all better adapt and communicate with purpose while creating and rewriting strategies that will allow us to navigate this disruption and ultimately thrive—perhaps in a way we never initially dreamed was even possible.